Red Dusk
by Afroza-IX
Summary: Joseph Walker is found shot dead in his office in Sacramento and Lisbon and the team are put on the case. But one of the suspects caims links to Red John and the case is not as simple as it first seems... Some Jisbon and Rigspelt in later chapters.
1. Prelude

**The Prelude to the first fanfiction I ever wrote. I do not own The Mentalist, yadda yadda yadda blah blah blah, you guys know the drill. **

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Joseph Walker sat in his office sheltered from Sacramento's cold night air. He was working overtime again, things had cropped up which meant he had needed to stay late. Paperwork was strewn across the desk in a disorderly fashion waiting to be completed and the desk draws were nearly exploding with the copious amounts of files which had been stuffed into them. The nightlife of the city bustled outside the office window, cabs and late night joy-riders littered the roads and drunken youths clambered through the empty alleyways. Joseph sighed heavily, looking back to his paperwork which he began filling in. Too many forms, he thought, too many forms and not enough time. He had one thing right. There was not enough time. At that moment the sound of gunfire reverberated around the room and Joseph Walker's eyes widened as a bullet landed straight in his heart. Blood spread around the wound, soaking the man's white shirt a crimson red. A dark figure left the office building leaving Joseph Walker lying dead in a pool of his own blood, ready to be found by some unsuspecting office worker the next morning. All in a nights work, the figure thought rounding the street corner, all in a nights work.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1, reviews and crits are welcome, infact I encourage crits, then I know what to improve upon for next time. Most of my chapters are shorter than this...**

**Again I do not own The Mentalist, yadda yadda yadda blah blah blah. **

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Patrick Jane was awoken by the sound of footsteps entering the room, he didn't need to open his eyes, he already had a pretty good idea of who it was. Seconds later he heard the impatient voice of CBI agent Teresa Lisbon confirming his earlier suspicions,

"Victim, Joseph Walker 29 year-old male, found dead in his office in Sacramento this morning. Cause of death, a bullet wound which penetrated his heart." Lisbon looked around the room at the other CBI officers, "All clear?"

"Do we have background on Mr Walker?" she turned to meet the gaze of agent Grace Van Pelt, and threw a brown folder her way,

"All relevant background information is there. He had a wife, no children and he worked in a large company in Sacramento. Everything else is in those files." Lisbon replied nodding at the folder, "That all Van Pelt?" Van Pelt nodded and began to look through the files. Jane meanwhile, had taken the liberty of making himself comfortable on the office sofa so he could fall asleep again. He had no reason to stay awake unless…

"Jane!" Lisbon's crisp call pierced the man's ear causing him to flinch, "You're coming with me to talk to the wife." Jane got up off the sofa slowly,

"Alright, don't get your knickers in a twist." he murmured, Lisbon fixed him with a sharp glare and turned to leave,

"Er, boss?" came a questioning male voice. Lisbon turned around to see the face of CBI agent Wayne Rigsby looking at hers,

"Rigsby. You, Cho and Van Pelt stay here. We'll call if we need anything." she replied making her way out of the office and along the corridor. Jane looked at the remaining officers, shrugged and followed Lisbon as closely as he dared. Kimball Cho shot an inquiring glance at Rigsby, who shrugged,

"Anyone for a coffee?"

***

Lisbon and Jane pulled up outside a large detached house on the outskirts of Sacramento. The two clambered out of the car and slammed the doors shut in unison,

"Nice place." Jane commented following Lisbon up the long driveway,

"Just don't say anything stupid." she replied irritably, ringing the doorbell . The door was answered by a woman in her twenties, her short blonde hair bobbed as she opened the door. Her eyes were red from crying,

"Mrs Walker?" the woman nodded slowly looking from Lisbon to Jane and back again,

"Wh-who are you?" she stuttered shakily holding onto the door frame which seemed to be keeping her upright,

"I'm agent Teresa Lisbon, CBI." Lisbon held up her badge so the woman could see it, "This is my co-worker Patrick Jane," Jane raised his right hand and nodded in greeting, "I'm sorry to bother you like this but we'd like to ask a few questions about your husband."

Karen Walker ushered the two inside,

"Go straight into the kitchen, I'll make you some tea." she told them closing the door and following them through the house. The kitchen was a large room, more of a kitchen-diner, with a breakfast bar at the centre. Here Karen sat them down and went to make tea,

"Sorry to have to invade your private time Mrs Walker," Lisbon apologised earnestly, "but we think, due to circumstances, it would be good to know a little about the nature of your husband's work and recent activities."

"I understand." Karen replied setting the tea down at the breakfast bar and sitting down opposite Lisbon, "What is it you need to know?"

"Had your husband received any threats or hate mail recently?" Lisbon questioned trying to concentrate on the job at hand rather than the clunk of Jane's feet on the kitchen floor as he wandered the room,

"He had to lay off a couple of workers recently, so yes he had received hate mail recently." she replied gingerly sipping her tea,

"Could you elaborate on the nature of the hate mail he received?" Lisbon inquired clenching her hands together in annoyance at the sound of Jane's footsteps as he continued to pace the room,

"It was mostly just spiteful comments, calling him a bastard and suchlike," Karen replied, "though there were some which were very threatening…some even contained death threats, though Joseph thought nothing of it." Lisbon nodded,

"Do you have any of the hate mail around?" Karen nodded and shakily got up to fetch some of the hate mail,

"I'll just go and find it." her wavering voice called back to Lisbon,

"Thank you Mrs Walker." Lisbon quickly turned her attention to Jane who was still walking around the kitchen behind her, "Stop pacing." she hissed, "I can't think straight with you doing that." Jane held his hands up in mock surrender and stood looking at the photos on the wall.

Karen re-entered the room moments later with a small pile of letters and handed them to Lisbon,

"These are the only ones I could find," she murmured, "I hope they help somewhat." Lisbon nodded reassuringly,

"I'm sure they will be a great help. Thank you." she replied putting the letters away in her pockets.

"You were very fond of your husband weren't you Mrs Walker?" came a male voice from behind Lisbon, Karen looked to see Jane standing next to her fridge, "They're beautiful photos." he noted pointing to the photos stuck to the fridge door,

"Yes Mr Jane, I was fond of my husband." Karen replied, a tear trickled down her face. Jane watched Karen's eyes closely as she replied,

"We should be going now Mrs Walker," Lisbon said standing up, "thanks for your time, we appreciate it. We'll be in touch if we find anything more or need to ask any more questions."

"Y-yes of course." Karen replied showing the two out of the house, "I hope I have been of help."

***

"She didn't do it." Jane called after Lisbon as they walked swiftly through the CBI building corridors,

"So you've said," Lisbon replied tetchily, "but just because you've looked at her eyes and think she's telling us all she knows does not rule her out as a suspect." Jane remained quiet as he followed Lisbon into the office. Rigsby, Cho and Van Pelt turned round simultaneously as they heard the footsteps enter the room,

"Van Pelt," Lisbon called throwing the pile of letters, which were now held together by an elastic band, Van Pelt's way, "run a background check on all the senders names." Van Pelt nodded and began to type furiously at the computer. Rigsby gave Lisbon a questioning look,

"Rigsby. You and Cho go and check out the crime scene again, see if there's anything we've missed." she told him. Lisbon saw Jane about to open his mouth, "Yes Jane, you may go with them." she turned her attention back to Rigsby, "We'll give you a call if we find anything." Rigsby nodded looking to Cho who gave him an agreeing nod and stood up to leave. The two grabbed their coats and left the room with Jane following behind them.

***

Rigsby, Cho and Jane scoured Joseph Walker's office, scrutinising every speck of dirt as if it could possibly tell them something about the murder,

"Nothing," Rigsby said scratching his head, "absolutely nothing." Cho looked over to him,

"Same here," he replied matter-of-factly, "I can't find a thing that the CBI haven't already picked up on." The two men looked over to Jane who appeared to be crawling on his hands and knees like a toddler, they exchanged a puzzled look,

"Jane?" Cho called, Jane lifted his head up and hit it on the desk. The men flinched,

"What?" Jane asked rubbing his now sore head, Cho shot Rigsby a glance which said : 'You tell him.'

"We can't find a thing Jane." Rigsby said, Jane shrugged as though it were nothing,

"We know Mr Walker was killed by a bullet," he replied getting back onto his hands and knees, "the rifling marks will tell us what type of gun it's from and, if the CBI are lucky, the exact gun it's from." Cho looked at Rigsby his eyebrows raised slightly. They exchanged another puzzled glance,

"Then why are we here?" Rigsby asked, "Is there even a point in us being here?" he glared at Jane waiting for a reply,

"Yes." the man answered simply. Rigsby was dumbfounded,

"What?" Cho asked before Rigsby could so much as open his mouth. Jane held up a silver watch. Rigsby and Cho exchanged yet another bewildered look.

***

Lisbon looked over Van Pelt's shoulder as she checked through the senders' backgrounds yet again,

"The most criminal record we have is shoplifting, otherwise no criminal records and all have pretty substantial families." Van Pelt repeated for the fifth time that afternoon. Lisbon was a little perplexed, these people had no reason to send such spiteful hate mail, let alone death threats. If they got caught their 'substantial families' would suffer, why would any go to the trouble of killing Joseph Walker if it meant the possibility of being separated from their children and wives? Lisbon finally gave up,

"I'm calling Jane."

***

"Hello?" Jane answered his cell phone as he left the office block,

"You better have found something at that crime scene." Lisbon's irate voice irate voice answered, Jane smiled to himself,

"Don't worry," he replied almost gleefully, "I found a watch."

"A watch!?" Lisbon shouted down the phone, "How's a watch going to help us?" she was positively fuming,

"I'll send it down to forensics and you'll see." Jane replied smugly, a smile still playing about his face. He ended the call.

***

"I'm going to my office." Lisbon said with a sigh as she turned to leave the room,

"Wait!" Van Pelt called after her, "I've just found a letter that we haven't seen. I'm just checking the sender's record and -"

"What?" Lisbon replied cutting her off as she looked over Van Pelt's shoulder at the computer screen. Her eyes widened, "Rape, Hijacking… this guy has quite the criminal record." she commented reading through the background further. Something on the screen caught her eye, "Claims to have connections to Red John." she murmured, "We're not letting Jane near this one."

"Not letting me near which one?" Lisbon jumped,

"Would you not scare me like that?" she asked, her hand over her chest. A playful grin emerged on Jane's face,

"Seriously though, you're not letting me near which one?" Lisbon avoided his question completely,

"Cho, Rigsby." the two men looked over to her a look of dismay on their faces,

"You're not going to-" Rigsby was cut off,

"Yes." she replied, "You two are going to question this man." she passed the letter to them along with a folded printout of the man's records, "No Jane you may not go with them. You'll just rile the guy up."

"Your words pain me Lisbon." he replied in mock hurt, dropping on to the sofa. Lisbon rolled her eyes and turned back to Cho and Rigsby,

"Well?" she snapped, "What are you waiting for? Go and question the guy. Catch him and bring him back here in necessary, though I'd rather you speak to him away from here. And please, be careful." the two men picked up their coats and left the building once again, grumbling as they did so.

"Van Pelt," Jane called across the room, "can you check who works in that office block where Mr Walker worked?" Van Pelt nodded,

"Sure thing Jane," she replied, "just give me a sec." she began to type furiously at the keyboard. Lisbon gave Jane a long hard glare. 'I give the orders here.' it said. Jane smirked and Lisbon had to resist the urge to slap him hard round the face,

"I've just done a check on all the people who work in that office block," Van Pelt's voice floated across the room, "some of them were in the office last night, one reported hearing a loud gunshot sound at the time of Mr Walker's death."

"Thanks Grace." Jane replied giving Lisbon a look that said; 'told you so'. Lisbon glared in reply,

"Van Pelt," Van Pelt turned to face Lisbon, "do a background check on all of them."

"Sure boss," she replied, furiously typing away at the keyboard once again, "just give me a sec." Lisbon fixed Jane with a glare that said; 'don't you dare do or say anything else' and walked back over to the computer at which Van Pelt sat.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2, you know the drill. I have 6 Chapters completed, just so everyone knows. Crits and reviews welcomed and encouraged.**

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Rigsby and Cho got out of the black 4x4 slowly, they had taken extra precautions after reading Michael Harlow's background information, these came in the form of a small gun and a bullet proof vest each. Harlow's house looked dark and foreboding, the outer walls were a dull grey colour and the only thing visible through the dirtied windows was a near blackness,

"You ready?" Cho asked unnecessarily as he and Rigsby made their way to the front door. Rigsby nodded as Cho knocked on the door, "Mr Harlow?" he called into the house, the sound echoing through the hallway. No reply, "Mr Harlow?" Rigsby was beginning to become agitated by the lack of reply,

"Mr Harlow. We're from the California Bureau of Investigations. We'd like to ask you some questions about the death of Mr Joseph Walker." Cho looked around cautiously. Something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He could see a shadow looming ominously behind the dirtied glass of the living room,

"Rigsby!" he shouted noticing the gun in the figure's hands. Rigsby span round to see the shadow bring the gun up and ran for cover behind a conveniently placed bin with Cho following close behind him. A bullet narrowly missed Cho's leg, tearing through the material of his trouser leg and landing in the ground on the other side as he and Rigsby ducked behind the bin. The two fumbled around as they pulled their guns from their holsters, nodded at each other and began shooting at the window being careful not to shoot Harlow in the process. Michael Harlow, unable to shoot the two men at the same time, turned his attention to Rigsby and began firing wildly, the bullets ricocheting off the bin or narrowly missing Rigsby as they ploughed their way through the plastic. Seeing an opportunity , Cho ran to the front door, kicked it down and ran for the living room which Harlow was shooting from. He entered the room slowly, gun drawn at Harlow's back,

"It's over Mr Harlow." he said, his voice echoing eerily through the room. The man at the window turned round to face Cho. He was a stocky built, relatively tall man with long hair and a beard. His glare was cold and he held the gun, pointing it purposefully at Cho and flexing his trigger finger,

"Oh, it is, is it?" Harlow asked in a gruff voice, "For you, maybe." Rigsby could only watch from behind the bin as Harlow grinned maliciously and began to pull the trigger.

***

Jane lay on the sofa as Lisbon and Van Pelt went through the backgrounds of all the office workers, he listened intently as the two discussed which were likely to, for want of a better word, dislike Mr Walker or have a grudge against him. The phone on Van Pelt's desk rang,

"I'll get it." Jane said running over and snatching the receiver. Van Pelt and Lisbon exchanged an irritated look, "Hello? Yes I did send a watch down to forensics… Uh huh… But do you know who it belongs to?… Yes?… Brilliant, thank you." Jane ended the call, "Do you have a Brendan Stowe on the list of office workers?" he asked them as he went to sit back down on the sofa,

"Yes Jane we do, why?" Lisbon replied,

"That watch I found belongs to him." he replied simply. Lisbon looked at him, one eyebrow raised,

"And?" she asked, "That helps us how?" a playful smile emerged on Jane's face. Lisbon sighed. This was going to be a very long day.

***

Cho ran for the door as Harlow squeezed the trigger, the bullet hit his leg embedding itself comfortably in it. Cho collapsed on the floor just out of reach of the door and Harlow laughed,

"Thought you could get away cop?" he smiled as he aimed at the back of Cho's head. Just as he was about to pull the trigger Rigsby burst through the already shattered window and knocked him to the ground with surprising strength. The impact had caused Harlow to let go of his gun, which no longer contained any bullets anyway, and Rigsby quickly handcuffed him. Cho got up off the floor, wincing when his right foot touched the ground,

"Alright Mr Harlow," Rigsby said as he pulled the man up off the ground, "You might want to co-operate, your behaviour just is enough for us to hold you in custody for at least tonight." he looked over to Cho, "Cho!" he called running over to him, "Are you okay?" he looked at Cho's leg, "You're gonna have to have that looked at." he said looking back over to Harlow who was trying to escape out the window, "You got a stun gun?" he asked, Cho passed him one. Rigsby ran over to Harlow and stunned him quickly, "I'll get him to the car, stay here until I can help you in."

***

"We are not bringing a guy in for questioning on the basis his watch was in the victim's office." Lisbon repeated, getting more agitated by the minute. Her cell phone rang, "Rigsby. Did you manage to question him?… He what!?… Is Cho okay?… Right, okay… Bring him in… Yeah it may not be a good idea I know… Just do it." Lisbon ended the call,

"What was that about?" Van Pelt asked worried, "Are they okay?" Lisbon sighed and shook her head slowly,

"Rigsby and Cho caught our man, but Cho got shot in the leg in the process." She replied, "He's in the hospital now but he should be fine." Van Pelt sighed, her heart was pounding rapidly,

"At least someone's looking after him." Lisbon nodded, secretly worried about Harlow being brought into the CBI building. If Jane found out about his supposed connections there was no telling what might happen. She sighed and looked over to Van Pelt,

"Can you ask someone to prepare a questioning room Van Pelt?" Van Pelt nodded slowly in reply and left the room swiftly. Jane got up off the sofa,

"Do you mind if I visit Cho?" he asked pointing to the door, Lisbon spotted the opportunity immediately,

"No, go ahead," she replied placing a $10 note in his hand, "get him some chocolates or something from all of us while you're at it will you?"

"Sure." Jane replied, shocked by Lisbon allowing him to go. Something was up, but he'd find out what it was once he got back.

***

Cho lay in the hospital bed with his hand behind his head, staring at the ceiling. He didn't need to be here. He wanted to be on the move, helping with the investigation, not lying in some dank hospital bed staring at a blank white ceiling. The creak of the door drew Cho's attention from the emptiness off the ceiling,

"Someone here to see you Mr. Cho." a brunette nurse droned as she held the door open. Cho watched as Jane strolled into the room holding a box of chocolates,

"Hey," he said walking over to Cho's bedside, "brought you some chocolates from everyone." he passed Cho the box,

"Um… thanks Jane," Cho replied putting the box on his lap, "sit down." he said motioning to a seat next the bed. Jane let himself drop onto the chair and the leant forward with his fingers locked on his lap, "There's a question you're dying to ask isn't there?" Cho asked, watching as Jane twiddled his thumbs. Jane looked up,

"Hm?" Cho sighed,

"You were listening." he said in response, "What question is it you want to ask?"

"Lisbon has been acting strange don't you think?" Jane questioned standing up, "D'you mind?" he inquired pointing to the chocolate box,

"Oh, no go ahead." Cho answered passing Jane the box, "Define acting strange."


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3, I lied last chapter I only have 5 chapters finished, I'm working on Chapter 6 now. Crits and reviews welcome as ever. Do not own The Mentalist, yadda yadda yadda blah blah blah.**

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Rigsby glared at Harlow coldly across the table,

"Where were you last night between 11:00 pm and 12:00 am?" he asked impatiently leaning his arms on the desk and leaning forward. Harlow leant back in the chair as though he were relaxing on a beach or in a spa,

"At home." he replied bluntly. Rigsby was not at all happy with his answer,

"If that's the case," he replied hotly, "why did you try to shoot myself and Cho when we asked to speak to you about the death of Mr Walker?" Rigsby continued to fix Harlow with a cold glare. The man didn't answer, "Answer the damn question!" he shouted irritably slamming his fist on the table. He had completely forgotten that Lisbon was watching. Harlow's lips curled into a smile on one side he enjoyed seeing angry officers. Rigsby managed to calm himself down a little, "Just answer." he said trying not to get riled up again,

"I don't deal well with cops." Harlow replied, "I saw cops, I got my gun, I shot." Rigsby bit his lip in an attempt to stop himself from exploding with anger,

"That doesn't answer my question Mr. Harlow." he told the man through gritted teeth. Harlow smirked,

"I never said I was going to answer," he told Rigsby matter-of-factly, "now, where is Jane?" Rigsby froze suddenly and looked back to the one way glass behind him. There could be only two reasons for asking that question. Either this man knew Jane from a run in with him when he worked as a psychic, or the claims that Michael Harlow had connections to Red John were true.

***

"She allowed me to leave the office no questions asked." Jane replied simply, "That is not an everyday occurrence with Lisbon now, is it?" Cho shrugged,

"It could happen, you're visiting a co-worker in hospital after all." Jane contemplated it a little, it was possible he supposed but still…

"She's hiding something from me, she almost wanted to get me out of that office." Cho sat up,"Well I don't know why she's acting like that Jane." he replied hoping Jane wouldn't see right through him,

"You're lying." Jane retorted looking at him closely, "You know exactly why Lisbon is acting the way she is but you're afraid you'll get chewed out if you tell me. That or it's something none of you want me to know, something to do with a certain Michael Harlow perhaps?" Cho resisted the urge to gulp as he watched Jane and listened to what he had to say,

"No Jane, it has nothing to do with Harlow." Jane scrutinised Cho as he replied to his guesses,

"You're lying again Cho." Jane told him, "You're like an open book, it's hard to miss the writing on the pages." Cho cursed under his breath, why did Jane have to be so good at reading people's expressions and bodies. It was hard to keep anything from him,

"I'm telling you nothing Jane." he responded a slight hint of irritation in his voice. Jane smirked,

"You don't need to."

***

Lisbon left for the interrogation room immediately, flinging the door open as she got there. Both the men in the room turned to face her,

"Boss." Rigsby acknowledged her with a nod of his head. Lisbon stared straight at Harlow,

"Mr. Harlow," she said, her arms folded across her chest, "please answer my subordinate's questions." she held the man's gaze,

"That's not all you came in to say, eh lady?" Harlow said, still leaning back in his chair,

"Before you answer my subordinate's questions, I would like you to answer one of mine." she told him placing her hands on the table and leaning forward, still holding his gaze, "How do you know Patrick Jane?"

***

"I'm guessing Mr Harlow knows me somehow, through one of my psychic readings or programmes perhaps?" Cho didn't reply, but his body language told Jane that wasn't the case, "Or maybe a previous case?" again Cho's body language said no. Jane froze for a second, he knew why Lisbon had been so eager to get him out of there, "Red John." he said, Cho's body language confirmed his suspicions immediately and he was out of the room in a flash. Cho picked up his cell phone from beside his bed and dialled Lisbon's number.

***

Lisbon's cell rang just after Harlow had answered her,

"Hello?… Cho? Shouldn't you be-… He's what!?… How the hell?… Right… Okay… Thanks Cho…Get some rest… Bye." Rigsby looked at her, "He found out. He'll be here any minute now." Harlow smiled, the man had a pretty good idea of who 'he' was,

"Jane decided to pay a visit has he?" Harlow asked practically beaming. Lisbon shot the man a long hard glare,

"You, shut up." she snapped turning to Rigsby, "Rigsby make sure Mr. Harlow doesn't do anything he or we will regret and _don't_ go giving him any ideas." Rigsby looked at Lisbon a pained expression on his face, "You'd be surprised what suspects pick up on Rigsby." she said turning and leaving the room, "Oh, and I don't want anything like that hypnotism incident to happen again." she called back,"That was hardly my fault!" Rigsby called back feeling slightly hurt by Lisbon's comment.

***

Jane walked swiftly through the CBI building determined to find Michael Harlow and get information from him. If Harlow knew Red John, Jane was going to find out and he was going to get the information out of him by any means necessary. He strode through the corridor on his way to the interrogation room, his chain of thoughts was interrupted by a familiar voice,

"Jane!" Lisbon shouted down the hallway, "Jane, don't you dare go in that room!" the consultant glared at Lisbon as he continued to stride through the corridor,

"I've told you before Lisbon, if you try to stop me-" he began,

"You'll what Jane?" she snapped back irritably, "This is the CBI building, we're officers of the law."

"Your point being?" Jane replied as though the word law meant nothing to him, which, at times like this, it didn't,

"You try anything and you'll be arrested and charged on the spot." Lisbon responded positioning herself in front of the interrogation room's door, "Law Jane. Its what separates right from wrong. Its what separates the doctors from the Red Johns." Jane stopped dead and Lisbon realised what she had said. She couldn't have picked a worse line.


	5. Chapter 4

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Chapter 4, Any guesses as to what Grace has found? All will be revealed in Chapter 6... so until I've uploaded Chapter 6 keep guessing ;3 I'd love to hear what you guys think it is. Crits and reviews encouraged. The Mentalist does not belong to me yadda yadda yadda blah blah blah.

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Rigsby tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for Lisbon. Harlow was really getting on his nerves, smiling as though he weren't in any real trouble at all and leaning back relaxed in his chair. What was taking her so long?

"Aww, are you missing your boss?" Harlow asked as though he were talking to a little kid waiting for their mom. Rigsby shot him a glare,

"Look Mr. Harlow," he began once again leaning on the table and keeping eye contact with the man, "you're in no position to talk to an officer of the law in that way. Because right now, as far as we're concerned, you killed Joseph Walker."

***

"Jane." Lisbon warned as the consultant advanced, glaring uncharacteristically at her, "Jane, you know I didn't mean to-" she began before she was stopped suddenly by Jane pushing her out of the way of the door, "Jane!" she shouted as he threw the door open, "Jane get out of there this instant!" Upon hearing Lisbon shouting Rigsby span round,

"Jane you shouldn't be in here." he said matter-of-factly, the blonde man ignored him completely, setting his gaze on Harlow instead,

"You." he snapped, "Tell me what you know about Red John. Now." Harlow laughed spitefully,

"Well, you must be Mr. Patrick Jane." he smirked, "Red John gave me the low-down on you; pretty brave slandering a serial killer on live TV." Lisbon ran into the room to see Jane glowering coldly at the suspect,

"Tell me what you know about Red John." he demanded through gritted teeth. Harlow just continued to smirk,

"I'm not telling you anything Mr. Jane." he replied calmly leaning back in his chair once again. Jane nearly snapped,

"You will tell me what you know about Red John," he told the man coolly, just about managing to conceal his fierce anger, "or I will torture you and kill you myself."

"That's enough Jane." Lisbon said firmly, sounding rather like an angry mother, "Calm down and leave this room this instant. You're being childish." Jane looked over to her, his eyes filled with a fiery anger which was very slowly subsiding,

"You're right Lisbon." he said in way of apology as he began to make his way from the room, Harlow's voice carried across the room after him,

"You wouldn't dare try anything you just mentioned. You wouldn't want to lose anyone else to Red John would you?" Jane span round angrily as Harlow motioned towards Lisbon and smiled smugly. Lisbon caught the consultant's arm and gave him a stern look before he could so much as open his mouth,

"Jane." she warned holding his gaze. He sighed and left the room, the fiery anger re-ignited within him.

***

Van Pelt sat alone in the office waiting on phone calls and staring at the computer screen in a failed attempt to keep herself amused. She had heard Lisbon shouting at Jane in the hallway earlier but had been forced to stay at her desk to answer a phone call from the forensics lab about the watch Jane had found. They had, of course, said nothing of importance and merely stated once again that the watch belonged to a Mr. Brendan Stowe. The lab technician must have been slightly forgetful. She sighed and began to fiddle with the pen she had in her hand. Why was she always the one to get left behind?

Van Pelt's trail of thoughts was disturbed by a certain Patrick Jane swinging open the door violently and dumping himself on the sofa in a disorderly fashion. He then began to lean forward clasping his hands together and twiddling his thumbs. Van Pelt knew immediately that he had found out about Harlow,

"Jane?" she said leaning so she could see his concentration filled face. He blocked out her voice completely, his eyes filled with anger and guilt. She tried again,

"Jane?" this time he acknowledged her speaking,

"Hm?" he said turning his head towards her, "Sorry, did you need something?" he asked, Van Pelt shook her head,

"N-no, sorry." she replied looking back to her computer screen, "Oh, the forensics lab called. Said the watch belonged to Brendan Stowe."

"Nothing else?" Jane inquired impassively, his mind still on Michael Harlow,

"Nothing else." Van Pelt confirmed going back to fiddling with her pen. There was a long awkward silence which neither seemed to want to break.

***

Rigsby sighed heavily as he left the interrogation room,

"He's not telling us anything boss." he told Lisbon as they walked over to the office, "He refuses to say anything about the murder." Lisbon strode purposefully towards the room taking in Rigsby's words as she did so,

"We have enough to keep him in for a few days at least. Until we can get him to talk we'll search the house. I already got hold of a search warrant." Rigsby nodded and the two entered the bullpen, an awkward silence still hung in the air. Jane sat on the sofa still twiddling his thumbs as he thought about Harlow and his connections. Van Pelt continued to fiddle with her pen and stare at the computer screen hoping something would happen. It wasn't long before her wish was granted,

"Van Pelt." Lisbon's voice sliced through the air,

"Y-yes?" she questioned sitting bolt upright. Lisbon rolled her eyes,

"Did you finish the background checks on those office workers?" her voice was impatient,

"Yes, they're right here." Van Pelt replied passing her boss a pile of papers, "I printed them out for you." Lisbon took the papers,

"Thank you. Now if it's not too much trouble," she began, tucking the papers under her arm, "I'd like you to accompany Rigsby to Harlow's house to search for evidence."

"Oh, no." Van Pelt replied getting up of her seat, "No trouble at all." Rigsby smiled as Van Pelt picked up her coat and walked towards him, she smiled warmly back. She could do with getting out of the office and she could think of no-one better to do it with.

***

Lisbon turned on Jane the moment Rigsby and Van Pelt had left the room,

"Jane you idiot!" she snapped, "You can't say things like that in the middle of an interrogation!" he shrugged and stared into space again,

"I was stating the facts." he said plainly. Lisbon was close to snapping,

"Jane. We're in the CBI building. There are officers of the law in every corridor. Do you want them to think you're going to go around rampaging and killing suspects?"

"Let them think what they want." he replied, "I don't care what they think about me." Lisbon took a deep breath to stop herself from slapping Jane around the face,

"Well I do." she told him, "And if you're going to keep doing this," she continued, her voice firm, "I _will_ suspend you." Jane gave her a look; 'you can't keep me away from him', "And," she added noting Jane's look with some concern, "I will do everything in my power to stop you from going anywhere near that man."

***

The ride to Harlow's was a bumpy and silent one. Neither Rigsby or Van Pelt spoke as the car trundled up the country roads, occasionally being hit by a branch from a low lying tree or overgrown bush. Van Pelt wasn't bothered by the lack of conversation, but rather savoured the silence, taking the opportunity to clear her head a little. Occasionally she turned to look at Rigsby's face, fraught with concentration and anxiety, and smiled when he opened his mouth as if to try and start a conversation, but thought better of it and quickly went back to concentrating on the road.

After some time the pair arrived at Michael Harlow's house. Seeing it reminded Rigsby of when Cho had been shot. He thought of how easily it could have been him on the receiving end of the bullet, and how easily he could have been killed. The very thought send a chill down his spine and he shuddered involuntarily. The house reminded Van Pelt of the abandoned mansions you always saw on horror films, the ones where ghosts would float out through the bedroom doors. She shook her head and followed Rigsby closely as took a deep breath and began to make his way towards the building. Looking at a closer range Van Pelt could see the shattered window caused by Rigsby, Cho and Harlow's bullets, as well as Rigsby jumping through and pinning Harlow to the ground. She bit her lip, Rigsby could have easily been killed. What would she have done if that had happened? She shook the thought from her head,

"I'll take upstairs." Rigsby's voice penetrated Van Pelt's thoughts, snapping her back into reality, "Okay?" Van Pelt nodded,

"Y-yeah, sure." she replied pulling on a pair of gloves so as not to mess with any evidence she might find,

"See if you can find Harlow's gun!" Rigsby's voice came from the landing, "We didn't pick it up after Cho got shot!"

"Okay!" Van Pelt shouted back, making her way into Harlow's dark and dingy living room. She shuddered as she saw a small pool of Cho's blood near the door. She looked around the room,

"Whereabouts would it be!?" Van Pelt shouted up the stairs, unable to locate the gun yet,

"Near the front window!" came Rigsby's reply. Slowly she edged her way towards the window, carefully avoiding the shards of glass which were scattered across the floor. She spotted the gun lying on the floor near a display chest and quickly picked it up, tagged and bagged it,

"Got it!" she called back up to Rigsby, beginning to rifle through the draws on the display chest. Something caught her eye in the back of one draw. She picked it up and called Rigsby down from upstairs. This case was about to get more complicated.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5. Crits and reviews encouraged. Do not own The Mentalist yadda yadda yadda blah blah blah.**

* * *

Lisbon sank into her office chair, exasperated by Jane's arguing. He was starting to get out of hand, anyone could see that. One more little slip of the tongue by anyone could be the difference between him staying sane and him snapping like a twig. The team needed a lead now more than ever, Harlow wasn't about to talk and they didn't have a search or arrest warrant for Brendan Stowe, and Lisbon was keeping him as a last resort. She sighed and began to look through the backgrounds of around 20 office workers. She was just about to look through the first name on the list when the phone rang,

"Hello, CBI Agent Teresa Li-… Van Pelt?" Lisbon was shocked to hear the rookie's voice on the other end, "You found something?… Okay, bag it… Yes... As much as possible… Thanks…See you later… Bye…" Lisbon put down the receiver, her lips curling into a smile. A lead at last.

***

Van Pelt pocketed her cell phone,

"What did Lisbon say?" Rigsby asked looking over her shoulder curiously. Van Pelt shifted uncomfortably,

"She said to bag it and bring back as much other evidence as we can find." she replied. Rigsby nodded and, sensing Van Pelt's discomfort blushed and began to back away

"S-sorry." he said heading in the general direction of the hall, "I um… better finish upstairs." Van Pelt nodded and continued to rifle through Harlow's drawers and search downstairs for more evidence. She took a deep breath as she prepared to confront the shattered glass and Cho's blood once again.

***

Lisbon walked swiftly into the bullpen, pulling her coat on as she did so. Van Pelt's find had her interested, why would Harlow leave something like that just lying around in his drawer waiting to be found? No matter, it was going to help them now,

"Jane!" Lisbon called to the consultant who had now given up on staring into space and had decided it was a better idea to lie staring at the ceiling instead,

"Hm?" the lifeless sound told Lisbon he had acknowledged her call and presence,

"We're going to speak to the wife again." she told him, dropping a coat across his chest, "There are some questions she needs to answer." Jane picked up the coat and stood up,

"First," he began, Lisbon rolled her eyes in disapproval of what she knew he was about to say, "you have some questions to answer." Lisbon raised a questioning eyebrow, this wasn't the dialogue she had been expecting,

"Which are?" she asked as Jane walked towards her. He allowed himself a small smile,"What are the questions we're going to be asking?" he inquired, "And, When do we start?" Lisbon smiled.

***

Dusk was fast approaching and Karen Walker was smiling to herself as she washed up the dishes from her early dinner. All evidence of Joseph's existence in the house had been hidden from view, the photos which had been plastered over the fridge and hung on the walls, his diaries and journals, his clothes - everything. Karen hummed to herself as she replaced the dishes and cutlery in their correct places, it was all perfect, everything was running smoothly. Then came the ring at the doorbell, the CBI officer's voice carried through the house as she called through the letterbox,

"Mrs Walker?" the disembodied voice said, "Its Teresa Lisbon and Patrick Jane, can we come in?"

"Hold on a second!" Karen called back before cursing under her breath and thinking of an array of excuses as she went to answer the door. She opened the door to them, trying to make herself look as though she'd been crying and yet not make it too obvious. The two were in the house in a flash and Karen noticed Jane wearing a smile as they sat down in the living room. The smile was unnerving, it revealed the man's confidence, it told Karen he knew something he shouldn't,

"H-have you found anything?" she asked timidly, "Anything at all?" Jane's smile widened,

"As a matter of fact Mrs Walker, we have."

***

The drive back to the CBI building had been slightly more eventful than the one to Harlow's shack of a house. Van Pelt had managed to keep a conversation going with Rigsby for about 10 minutes, though discussing the best restaurants they had visited turned out to be more of a bore than Van Pelt first anticipated. Eventually Rigsby plucked up a little courage and asked Van Pelt what she liked to do in her free time,

"What free time?" she joked, Rigsby laughed and smiled,

"Seriously though, what do you do when you're not manning the computer and phone at work?"

"Well, I do a lot of yoga," she replied looking out onto the road, "there's not really much else to be honest." Rigsby raised a questioning eyebrow which reminded Van Pelt of Lisbon causing her let out a small snort of laughter,

"Seriously? That all?" he asked trying to keep his eyes on the road, "Nothing else?" Van Pelt shrugged,

"Yeah pretty much. I visit my cousin and other family sometimes but not really much else."

"Oh…" Rigsby replied, driving into the CBI car park. Van Pelt gave Rigsby a questioning look,

"Is there something wrong with that?" she asked, hurt by her colleague's reaction,

"N-no not at all." he said as he parked the car, "Sorry…" the two left the car and walked into the building in an awkward silence.

***

Jane smiled at Karen, secretly furious at what she had done,

"Where are all the pictures of your husband now Karen? And all his possessions? I thought you were fond of him." he said performing a sweeping motion with his hands around the room, showing her the spaces of each missing photo frame in turn, "Well?"

"The photos and possessions were reminding me of him…" she replied, still putting on her upset widow act,

"Isn't that a good thing Mrs Walker?" he replied, "I would love to be reminded of happy memories of my wife and daughter." a sadness flitted across his eyes for a second,

"They were reminding me that he is dead Mr Jane." she replied trying to conceal her irritation,

"There's no point in acting anymore Karen." he told her, "If you were truly upset, you would keep a photo of your husband close to you." he subconsciously put his hand in his pocket where he kept a photo of his wife and child, "You're a liar and a cheat Karen. A liar and a cheat." Karen couldn't take much more,

"How dare you!" she shouted angrily, "You have no right to say that!"

"Oh, he has every right to do so Mrs Walker. We have proof." Lisbon cut in, "And I trust his hunches." she added a slight smile on her face,

"Proof? Conclusive proof?" Lisbon's smile faltered,

"It's not so much conclusive…however-"

"You can't accuse me without conclusive evidence Mrs Lisbon." Karen smiled,

"Actually it's Miss." Lisbon replied, "And we already have."


	7. Chapter 6

**And the truth about what Van Pelt found is revealed... the build up probably wasn't worth it though. I just had to include a Rigspelt moment there... sorry. So enjoy the arguing between suspect and interrogator etc. Reviews and crits encouraged as always. Enjoy. I do not own The Mentalist yadda yadda yadda blah blah blah.**

* * *

The awkward silence lasted for quite some time. Van Pelt and Rigsby put the evidence into a box as though they were actors in a muted film. Rigsby daren't say anything in case he annoyed Van Pelt further. He felt a little stupid after their talk in the car, he shouldn't have reacted so unenthusiastically. Van Pelt herself wasn't actually as annoyed as Rigsby imagined, she was merely a little peeved that his reply to her answering his question was a mere 'Oh…' When Rigsby finally opened his mouth she had already anticipated his words,

"It's okay," she said, without him so much as making a sound, "I forgive you." Rigsby blushed a little and smiled stupidly in response, causing Van Pelt to giggle before she decided it was time to call Lisbon. She walked to her desk and picked up the receiver ready to dial,

"I'm going to call Lisbon," she told Rigsby, "see if there's anything else needs doing." he nodded in reply and went back to putting the remaining evidence in the box.

***

Lisbon's cell rang just as she was about to question Karen, she stabbed the answer button irritably,

"Van Pelt? What's so important that you have to call me now?" she snapped, "…No there's nothing else needs doing… Look, just go visit Cho or go home… Bye." Jane gave Lisbon a questioning look,

"Was there really any need to snap at her like that Lisbon?" he asked turning his attention back to Karen who appeared to be deep in thought,

"I don't like being disturbed in the middle of an interrogation." she said simply before turning back to Karen herself, "Now," she said to Karen, "where were we?"

***

"So," Rigsby said as Van Pelt shoved her phone back into her pocket, "anything else needs doing?" she shook her head,

"No." she replied putting on her coat and preparing to leave, "Unless you want to go visit Cho." Rigsby went to grab his coat,

"Aren't visiting hours over now?" Van Pelt thought about this,

"Yeah, you're probably right there." she replied picking up her bag and walking out through the door. Rigsby followed her closely,

"Would you um…" he began nervously, his cheeks beginning to flush pink. Van Pelt stopped and looked to him,

"Would I like to what?" she inquired curiously,

"W-would you like to come for a drink with me?" he blurted out, blushing furiously. Van Pelt smiled, blushing a little herself,

"O-of course." she said offering him her arm, "Shall we?" Rigsby smiled and took her arm in his as they walked from the building.

***

"I believe you'd just got to the part where you called me a liar and a cheat." Karen replied her lips curling into an irritated smile for a second,

"So we had." Jane replied leaning back on the sofa, Lisbon kicked him in the leg as if to tell him to stay focused, he shifted a little in his seat,

"Now if you're innocent and aren't cheating, or lying, I'm sure you wouldn't mind answering a few questions." Lisbon said bringing out a notepad and pen,

"Go ahead." Karen replied through gritted teeth, "Go ahead."

"Do you know Michael Harlow?" Karen wondered what excuse she could use for this one.

***

The bar was low-lit, with a small neon sign reading: 'Bar' in fancy lettering above it. The pair sat at a small, round table for two with tall legs and bar chairs positioned so they were facing each other. Rigsby smiled sheepishly at Van Pelt as he watched her sipping her drink gingerly,

"So," Van Pelt began, looking Rigsby in the eye, "I never got to ask what you did in your spare time." she smiled warmly and leant forward on the table. Rigsby opened his mouth to speak but didn't know what to say,

"I…um… not much really… er… watch TV…the usual guy stuff…" he said eventually. Van Pelt laughed and took a swig of her drink,

"The usual guy stuff?" she asked curiously, a smile playing about her lips. Rigsby blushed and hid his face by taking a huge gulp of his drink, subsequently choking on it and spitting half of it out over his shirt, trousers and the table. He placed his glass back down on the table and lifted his arms up as he looked down at the beer and spittle mix which coated his clothes. Van Pelt struggled to suppress her laughter,

"I think… you'd better… clean up." she told him between compressed laughs.

***

"So you're telling us, that despite there being a picture of you and him in Mr Harlow's draw, you have no idea who Michael Harlow is?" Lisbon asked, a quizzical eyebrow raised. Jane leant back on the sofa again. This was going to be good. Karen ran a list of excuses through her mind and picked one out at random, hoping it wouldn't give her away,

"If I did know him it must have been years ago." she told them, "I can't remember much from before Joseph's death. It was such a shock." Jane felt the need to butt in,

"You're lying." he said simply. Karen controlled her anger,

"And you can tell that by looking at me can you?" she scoffed, "What, are you psychic?"

"No," he replied, "not psychic, merely keenly observant. No such thing as psychics." Karen laughed,

"So your 'keen observation' has told you that I'm lying?" she asked incredulously, "I've never heard such nonsense." Jane shrugged,

"You're quite obviously angry, even Lisbon can see that." he told her,

"_Even Lisbon_?" Lisbon questioned, "What the hell is-" she stopped as Jane held a hand out to say: 'be quiet' and began to talk again,

"You've hidden all proof that your husband ever existed and I can smell the washing-up liquid on your hands. You obviously haven't been mourning." he observed, leaning forwards with his hands clasped together, "So, you going to tell us the truth?"

"I am already telling you the truth Mr Jane." she replied trying not to grit her teeth in anger as she did so. Lisbon sighed, it was going to be a long night.


	8. Chapter 7

**Sorry for the extremely long wait for an update. I got distracted from writing this by 'The Darkness Inside' and then after Mentalist Season 1 ended over here I started loosing interest. But now I'm back with a vengance! Season 2 and my Season 1 boxset will now keep me fueled for writing more of this fanfic. It's not an amazingly long chapter I'm afraid, but I felt that I should end it where I did. Enjoy! **

**I do not own The Mentalist or any of the characters (except Karen Walker, Michael Harlow, Joseph Walker and Brendan Stowe). Crits and reviews are welcomed as ever. I like to know how I can improve so don't be afraid to crit!  
**

* * *

"You can either tell us the truth here and now, or we can take this to an interrogation room in the CBI building." Jane told Karen simply, "Your choice."

"And we've been through this before Mr Jane." the widow replied, "I am already telling you the truth." Lisbon watched as the conversation unfolded. Karen was obviously uncomfortable, shifting in her seat constantly and snapping angrily when certain topics came up. Jane had been right, even Lisbon could see Karen wasn't telling them everything,

"You can talk to me and Jane now, or you can talk to one of our more violent interrogators later." Lisbon said, leaning back on the sofa a little. Karen glared at the agent and consultant in turn,

"You've got it all wrong." she replied indignantly,

"Oh, don't get me wrong Karen, you're good. Almost had me fooled too." the consultant responded, "But really, taking down those photos was a stupid idea." Karen held in her anger and folded her arms across her chest, "Come on Karen, just admit you were having an affair. It'll make both our lives a lot easier."

"No."

"Mrs Walker, we need you to co-operate with us. If you don't we'll have to drag you over to the CBI offices and charge you with obstructing an investigation." Karen caved in,

"Fine." she snapped heatedly, "I was having an affair with Michael Harlow." Lisbon raised her eyebrows, "Are you happy now!?"

"Actually no." Jane replied, "Your husband, did he find out about the affair? Is that why you asked Mr Harlow to kill him?" Karen laughed,

"No, Joseph didn't find out about the affair. He was far too absorbed in his work. I didn't ask Michael to kill him." she scoffed, "I can't say I'm sorry he's dead, but I didn't kill him and neither did Michael."

"See, isn't that better?" Jane asked as though he were talking to a child who had just admitted to breaking their sibling's toy. Karen snorted, glaring at the consultant irritably,

"Are you finished now?"

"Yes. Thank you for your time. We may have follow up questions though. Please, don't leave town."

"One more thing," Jane butted in, "do you know the nature of your husband's relationship with Brendan Stowe?" Karen shook her head,

"No. Now please get out of my house and leave me alone." The consultant stood up holding his hands up in mock surrender as he back out of the room. Lisbon rolled her eyes and followed him from the room,

"Almost had you fooled too?" she asked as they walked towards the car, "You looked pretty fooled to me." Jane smiled as he got in,

"No, just playing along." he retorted. Lisbon raised her eyebrows as she opened the passenger door and slipped into the seat,

"Yeah, sure you were." she teased pulling her seatbelt on, "You just said she was innocent to keep me fooled too."

"No, she is innocent. She was definitely telling the truth about that. Harlow on the other hand, she didn't seem certain of him."

"This is about the Red John connection isn't it?" The consultant went silent and started the car, "You can't believe every connection story you hear Jane."

"I know." he replied shortly. The rest of the journey was endured with an awkward silence.

Lisbon got out of Jane's car and stretched out. She felt as though she had been stuffed into a box,

"You need to get a bigger car." she groaned as she massaged the cramp out of her legs,

"I like my car." the consultant replied flatly, still sat comfortably in the driver's seat. Bending down Lisbon looked back into the car,

"You're not coming?" she asked, as the consultant stared blankly out of the car window,

"No, I'm going home. I'm tired." he replied, his gaze unwavering and his voice lifeless,

"Alright." the CBI agent sighed, "But promise me one thing Jane." he broke his gaze and looked over to her, the mischievous glint gone from his eyes,

"What?" he inquired dully,

"Drive carefully and don't do anything stupid." Jane nodded, not commenting on the fact that Lisbon had asked two things of him like she thought he would. She figured she could tell him she was an alien from another planet right now and he wouldn't notice or care. Smiling sadly she slammed the car door shut and walked towards the CBI building, only turning back to watch Jane's car trundle pathetically through the car park gates.

Jane walked through the empty room. The walls were plain and dull, without so much as a frame to brighten them up. The floor too was plain - medium brown varnished wood. His footsteps echoed through the vacant space around him as he strode towards the stairs, his expression blank. The staircase and hallway were equally as plain as the room downstairs, with no hint of colour to be seen. The place looked as though it hadn't been lived in. That was how Jane wanted it to be. Slowly he made his way to the door at the far end of the hallway and pushed it open. A red smiley face blood stain stared at him from the wall, and he stared back. All the evidence that was left of his wife and daughter in this house. Tears began to trickle slowly down his face as he put out a hand and touched the blood stain. Turning away from the wall the consultant sat down on the old mattress which lay beneath the house's only evidence of Jane's wife and child. He punched the wall angrily. Red John was going to pay and the sooner he did, the better.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 at last! Sorry for another long wait. Exams and The Demons of Kriya sapped my time from me, but I'm finished with exams now so I have lots of free time to continue this! I think the big reveal will come soon and that Red John connection is going to come into play quite nicely I hope. Enjoy - reviews and crits are always welcomed.**

**Disclaimer: The Mentalist and all related characters are copyrighted to Bruno Heller and his amazing team of Mentalist peoples. I only own Karen Walker, Brendan Stowe, Michael Harlow and Joseph Walker.  
**

* * *

Lisbon was at her wits end. Harlow was still refusing to talk, even with the leverage of a statement place against him by Karen. She figured he'd have to talk soon, but she couldn't hold him for much longer - they had no solid evidence. It was times like these when she wished Jane was around. Sure she disagreed with his unconventional methods, but he could get people talking and he got results. Results that put criminals where they belonged. She let out a heavy sigh before going to tell Rigsby to finish for the night. They needed sleep and, though she now wanted to follow up on Brendan Stowe, there was no way they could barge in on him at this time,

"Rigsby," she began opening the door to the interrogation room, "let's call it a day." She heard a noise which sounded somewhat like a strangled rat and peered curiously into the room. Upon looking in Lisbon found the agent pinned to the wall with Harlow's hand round his neck. She glared heatedly at the suspect, "Harlow, let my officer go." he didn't move, "Now!" Slowly Harlow loosened his grip, leaving Rigsby rubbing his neck tentatively. Before he could so much as twitch Lisbon had grabbed the suspect's hands and slapped cuffs on them, "Two counts of assault on an officer of the law in one day Mr. Harlow? It isn't looking good for you is it?" He grunted in irritation as she shoved him out of the room.

* * *

It was early morning when Jane walked into her office, dark rings under his reddened eyes,

"You didn't sleep did you?" Lisbon asked, knowing full well the answer to her question, she sighed, rolling her eyes and got up from her seat, "I'm going to go speak with Brendan Stowe today. Are you coming?"

"What made you change your mind?" he queried, as he followed the agent from her office,

"Sorry?" It was Jane's turn to roll his eyes,

"About Brendan."

"Oh, we need to pursue every lead we can get." he raised an eyebrow, "Karen and Harlow seem like dead-ends." She flinched expectantly, but was pleasantly surprised when the consultant said nothing on the subject of Michael Harlow. Maybe he had given up on pursuing the connection to Red John. If that was the case, why did she feel her stomach churn…

"Lisbon?" Jane's voice cut through her thoughts and she realised that she had stopped dead halfway through the corridor,

"Sorry, just thinking." the consultant smiled mischievously and she cast a nervous glance at him, "What?" he let out a soft giggle, "What!"

"Oh, nothing." Lisbon rolled her eyes,

"Fine. Come on let's go." he followed like a dog follows its master, still smiling broadly.

Brendan Stowe started at the sound of the doorbell. He opened an eye sleepily, realising he had fallen asleep on the sofa once again. Grunting in disdain he pulled himself up and ruffled his floppy brown hair in some sort of a attempt to make it look orderly,

"Mr Stowe?" a woman's voice carried through the broken letterbox, "Teresa Lisbon CBI we-" she stopped short as Brendan yanked the door open,

"Can I help you?" The woman opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by a blonde, curly haired man behind her,

"Actually yes you can." the woman turned on her partner sharply, "Oh come on Lisbon! He can!" she rolled her eyes,

"Teresa Lisbon CBI." she told Brendan, flashing her badge at him, "We'd like to ask you some questions regarding the death of Mr Joseph Walker."

"Certainly," Brendan stepped back to allow the agent through the door, "come in."

* * *

Lisbon wrinkled her nose as she entered Stowe's house, in some sort of attempt to block out the stench of cigarettes and alcohol which filled the place like a thick smog. Jane was slightly less subtle in his methods and visibly wafted the air with his hand as he let out a noise of disapproval, earning him an even less subtle elbowing from his boss,

"Please," Brendan's voice carried over from the other room, "come in and sit down." They followed the voice into a cluttered living room. Wine bottles and beer cans littered the floor along with papers and pens, there was just enough space for them to manoeuvre themselves around the room and to the sofa, "I apologise for the mess, I haven't had the time to clean up." Lisbon raised her eyebrows, _Well if that's not the understatement of the century…_

"So we see…" Jane murmured, dropping himself unceremoniously onto Brendan's tattered sofa, "Nice sofa by the way, very comfy." Lisbon cleared her throat,

"Mr Stowe," she began, determined to get the interview over with, "where were you between 11:00 pm and 12:00 am on April 15th?"

"At work, shutting down the computers on the first floor." Stowe replied simply,

"Is there anyone who can vouch for that?"

"No, the cleaners don't start on the first floor until everyone has left the building and as far as I know there were no other employees on that floor." Jane smirked a little,

"Not exactly the most solid alibi is it Brendan?" he asked patronisingly,

"Shut up Jane," Lisbon grumbled giving him an elbow in the ribs, "you'll have to excuse my colleague. He's very… forward."

"It's quite alright. What he says has truth to it." Brendan replied smiling slightly,

"You see Lisbon, not everyone resents what I have to say." the CBI agent wanted to slap Jane round the face but managed to hold herself back,

"Did you know Mr Walker well?" she inquired,

"Yes, he was my boss after all. Damn shame what happened to him." Jane began to rummage in his pockets, eventually pulling out a small evidence bag,

"Brendan, do you recognise this?" the consultant held the bag just close enough to Brendan for him to be able to see it. The suspect leaned forward and squinted at the watch in the bag,

"Never seen it before." he concluded leaning back in his chair,

"Really?" Jane asked, "I find that very hard to believe. You're twiddling your thumbs and we've already found traces of your DNA on this watch." Lisbon sighed, he always had to take things into his own hands, "So let's try that again. Do you recognise this watch Brendan?"

* * *

Rigsby ambled into the bullpen, his neck still sore from his encounter with Harlow the previous night. He found the desks and sofa empty - they must be pursuing a lead. Just then he heard a clatter in the kitchen followed by swearing. The agent poked his head round the door to find Cho on crutches with a pile of silverware at his feet,

"Aren't you meant to be resting?" Cho turned round,

"Hey. You couldn't give me a hand with this could you?" Rigsby sighed and walked over to pick up the knives, forks and spoons at his friend's feet,

"Seriously though, shouldn't you be resting?" he asked picking up a handful of silverware and dumping it unceremoniously on the worktop,

"Probably. But have you tried sitting down at home when everyone else is out doing something? I figured I could be desk jockey or something. It's not like I'm actually moving when I'm doing that." Rigsby laughed,

"You're as bad as Jane." he said, "Here, you want me to make you a coffee?"

"If you're offering."


	10. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Mentalist yadda yadda yadda blah blah blah**

**A/N: I'm sorry this chapter took so long to come. I've been working on it for quite a while, but my laptop (which has all my fanfictions on) broke down for about a month and I couldn't get on to finish the chapter. That and holidays. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Sorry again. Reviews and crits are encouraged as ever.  
**

* * *

Van Pelt could hear the sound of laughter as she walked towards the bullpen. She smiled. Jane was probably pulling a ridiculous stunt again. But as she entered she saw only Rigsby and…

"Cho!" she said breaking into a smile as she strode towards him and enveloped him in a hug,

"Hey Van Pelt." he replied,

"I thought you were meant to be-"

"Resting," the Asian American cut her off, "yeah, I know. I needed to be working. I was just about ready to kill myself watching those reality TV programmes." she and Rigsby laughed,

"You're-"

"As bad as Jane." he cut her off again, "Yeah, so I've been told." at this Cho looked in the direction of his friend who smiled at him. The redhead decided now was as good a time as ever to change the subject,

"Where are Jane and Lisbon anyway?" she asked, sitting herself at her desk,

"Chasing a lead." Rigsby replied, "I think."

"You think?" he shrugged,

"They weren't in when I got here and I doubt Lisbon would have agreed with Cho staying here. They're probably chasing up Brendan Stowe. We're at a dead end with Harlow and Karen." She nodded. Lisbon would want to chase every possible lead now, otherwise the case would be dead in the water.

The grunt Jane received as a reply to his question did nothing to brighten Lisbon's mood,

"Mr Stowe. Answer my colleague's question." she told the man sat opposite her, an underlying venom in her voice. His lips curled into a smile,

"You don't take any nonsense do you?" he laughed. The special agent fixed him with a cold glare,

"I'll ask the questions here Mr Stowe."

"Yes, I do recognise the watch. It was given to me as a gift from the company. I was actually wondering where it had gotten to." he replied sighing, "Why is this of any importance?" It was the consultant's turn to smile,

"We found it in your boss' office." He said simply before being interrupted by Lisbon who was keen to keep the interview going while it had momentum,

"Care to tell us what it might have been doing there Mr Stowe?" she questioned,

"Oh," Brendan said, a look of realisation on his face, "so that's what this is all about." he laughed lightly,

"This isn't a laughing matter." the agent snapped,

"I know, I'm sorry." he replied, "I was in Joseph's office fixing his computer."

"When?"

"April 15th."

"The day of his murder?" Lisbon raised her eyebrows,

"Yes, I know how it must look, but honestly, you can ask any of the employees, I fix - fixed, sorry - Joseph's computer on a regular basis. He was always getting it clogged up with viruses and malware." _Damn._ Lisbon could feel her lead slipping between her fingers again. Harlow had better talk soon. God knew they were at a dead end if he didn't,

"Thank you, Mr Stowe. We'll call you if we need anything else."

"He's not telling us everything." Jane told her before getting into the passenger seat, Lisbon let out an frustrated sigh,

"For the last time Jane, we have nothing to hold him on." she said upon starting the car, "His watch may have been in Mr Walker's office but if his story checks out there's a strong possibility that it was there from one of his many computer fixing visits."

"Only a possibility Lisbon." he pointed out, "He lied to us about not having seen the watch before, he was in that office the day Joseph Walker died, what else is he lying about?"

"He has no criminal record." she retorted as they pulled off the curb and began to make their way back to the CBI building, "The man's as clean as they get Jane. Sure he's an alcoholic, but that doesn't make him a killer."

"No, it doesn't." the consultant agreed, "But just because he has had a clean record doesn't mean he's not a killer. People snap sometimes, you should know that better than anyone." At this Lisbon silenced. It wasn't a calm silence, or an agreeing silence, but an angry and hurt silence. How _dare_ he, " I - I'm sorry…" Jane apologised tentatively, "I didn't mean-"

"Shut up Jane," she interrupted him, "before I decide to throw you out the car." Jane stopped talking immediately. It was never good to anger Lisbon.

The rest of the journey was tolerated in an awkward silence. Lisbon had no intention of talking to the consultant and Jane did not want to anger her further. He did have a point though, the agent thought, just because he had a clean record didn't mean he wasn't a killer. Realisation dawned on her and the car sped up quite suddenly. She needed to check this out. It was an angle they hadn't even considered and something in her knew it would turn up something.

"Van Pelt," Lisbon's voice echoed through the bullpen, "I want you to do a background check on Brendan Stowe." the younger agent jumped at the sound of her superior's voice,

"But boss we already did a background check on him - he came up clean."

"I know." the senior agent replied, more sharply than she had intended, "Try running his face through the criminal database. I think Brendan Stowe could be an alias."

"Yes boss." Van Pelt responded, typing away furiously at the keyboard. Lisbon turned to the rest of her team,

"Cho? What the hell are you doing here?" she snapped at the Asian agent who was resting his leg and reading another of his novels, "You're meant to be-"

"Resting? I am. I'm playing desk jockey." he looked up to find his superior fixing him with a stony glare which soon dissolved into a sigh, following this a mumble which Jane, who was now standing close behind her, made out to be 'stubborn bastard'. Rigsby watched the scene in amusement as he devoured another packet of crisps,

"Rigsby!" Lisbon shouted across the room,

"Yeph boph?" he asked, spraying crumbs all over the table,

"Let's see if we can't get Harlow to talk." she replied, "And Rigsby."

"Yeph boph?"

"Don't talk with your mouth full."


End file.
